Dueling Protests Divide US College Campuses as Israel–Hamas War Rages On

Columbia students participate in a rally in support of Palestine at the university in New York on Oct. 12, 2023. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

The escalating war in the Middle East has spilled into American colleges and universities, as dueling demonstrations continue to generate anger and frustration among students and faculty.

At Columbia University in new York, hundreds of students gathered Thursday afternoon on one side of the main campus’s lawn, waving Palestinian flags and signs celebrating recent terror attacks they called “resistance.” A moment of silence for those killed in Israeli retaliatory bombings was observed before the crowd started chanting “From the river to the sea,” a popular slogan used by the Hamas terrorist group.

Across the lawn stood their pro-Israeli counterparts, praying and mourning in silence while holding Israeli flags, as well as signs with names and photos of people who are believed to have been killed or kidnapped by Hamas.

Columbia students participate in a rally in support of Israel in response to a neighboring student rally in support of Palestine at the university on Oct. 12, 2023. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

The two crowds stayed within their boundaries and remained peaceful throughout the gathering, thanks to the police separating them and a new policy to open the campus only to those with a university ID. Columbia administrators placed the restriction the day after a 24-year-old student passing out pro-Israel flyers was allegedly attacked in front of a library.

“This is because me being an Israeli these days. Not me because being myself,” the victim, identified only as I.A., told student newspaper Columbia Spectator. “It is because me being an Israeli who is under a certain kind of threat.”

“The atmosphere on campus is extremely charged and many are concerned for their personal safety,” a group of three Columbia deans said in a campus-wide message following the alleged assault, pledging to uphold the principles of “open dialogue and intellectual freedom” and, at the same time, reject “hate speech” and violence.

‘Resistance Rally’ Escalated into Confrontation

Meanwhile, on the campus of the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill, heated exchanges almost devolved into a physical confrontation.

About 80 pro-Palestinian people on Thursday morning attended a “resistance rally” organized by the UNC chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine. They were greeted by a smaller group of pro-Israel counter protestors, and it didn’t take too long for the situation to get heated.

At one point of the event, religious studies professor Evyatar Marienberg threw himself into the pro-Palestinian crowd, shouting, “Nazis, Nazis, Nazis.” A campus police officer was quick to step in and escort the professor away before other pro-Israel counter-protesters could join him.

Mr. Marienberg, an Israel-born historian of religion, told student newspaper The Daily Tar Heel that a protestor threw a drink at him.

“I don’t like people that justify the rapes and massacres, no matter where they come from,” he said.

Global studies professor Michal Osterweil, who attended the protest in solidarity with Palestinians, said she was frustrated by her colleague’s behavior.

“I feel sad that faculty are trying to shame and shut down students,” Ms. Osterweil told The Daily Tar Heel.

The protest was followed by a statement by UNC Chapel Hill Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz, in which he explicitly denounced the “acts of terror in Israel by Hamas.”

“The senseless acts of terror in Israel by Hamas are horrifying. I condemn this terrible violence and fear the cascade of events these attacks are provoking, both locally and globally,” Mr. Guskiewicz wrote.

“We have a commitment to allow both internal and external groups to express their opinions under the First Amendment. We also strive to rise above hateful rhetoric and engage in civil discourse and educated debate,” he continued, adding that he wants to create an environment where people of different perspectives “come together and truly listen and learn from each other.”

‘Celebration of Terrorism’ Caused Harsh Condemnation

Leaders of several universities have taken a step further than Mr. Guskiewicz, condemning not only the acts of terrorism by Hamas, but also students expressing support of the terrorist group.

On Tuesday, the George Washington University (GW) chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine organized a vigil in Washington D.C. in honor of Hamas “martyrs” killed in their attack against Israel. The event prompted university President Ellen Granberg to call out the participants.

“I not only condemn terrorism, but I also abhor the celebration of terrorism and attempts to perpetuate rhetoric or imagery that glorifies acts of violence,” she wrote in a letter to the campus community. “Such messages do not speak on behalf of me, our administrators, or GW.”

Ben Sasse, the Republican senator-turned president of the University of Florida (UF), also issued a strong statement against “people in elite academia” who place the blame on Israel and the Jews for lives lost in the ongoing war.

“Too many people in elite academia have been so weakened by their moral confusion that, when they see videos of raped women, hear of a beheaded baby, or learn of a grandmother murdered in her home, the first reaction of some is to ‘provide context’ and try to blame the raped women, beheaded baby, or the murdered grandmother,” the former senator wrote in a letter addressing Jewish students at UF. “In other grotesque cases, they express simple support for the terrorists.”

“This thinking isn’t just wrong, it’s sickening. It’s dehumanizing,” he continued. “It is beneath people called to educate our next generation of Americans. I am thankful to say I haven’t seen examples of that here at UF, either from our faculty or our student body.”

Like the aforementioned university leaders, Mr. Sasse vowed to protect the students’ free speech rights, so long as the debate doesn’t devolve into violence.

“Our Constitution protects the rights of people to make abject idiots of themselves,” he declared. “But I also want to be clear about this: We will protect our Jewish students from violence.”